Category Archives: Genetic Engineering

Islamabad: Virtual University of Pakistan (VUP) organized the 1st International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Methods in Post Genomic Era at VU.

Prof. Dr. Bushra Mirza, Vice-Chancellor, Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), graced the event as Chief Guest. Mr. Naeem Tariq, Director Finance Virtual University of Pakistan attended the session as a special guest.

The conference was attended by eminent national and international scientists.

Keynote speakers included Prof. Dr. Erik Bongcam Rudloff, Head SLU-Global Bioinformatics Center, Dr. Shahid Mansoor (S.I) Chief Scientist, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, NIBGE, Faisalabad, Dr. Senkevich Konstantin Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery, Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Canada, Dr. Safee Ullah Chaudhary Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering, LUMS Lahore, Dr. Nadeem A. Kizilbash, Head Department of Biochemistry Faculty of Applied Medical Science, Northern Border University, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Dong Ling TONG, Centre of IoT and Big Data, Faculty of I & C Technology, University Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia, Prof. Dr. M. Kamran Azim Professor/Dean Faculty of Life Sciences, Mohammad Ali Jinnah University, Karachi, Prof. Dr. Mushtaq Hussain Principal Dow University College of Biotechnology Dow Health University Karachi, Dr. Ambrin Fatima Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University Karachi, Dr. Misbah Irshad Department of Chemistry University of Education Township Campus Lahore, Ms. Anusha Amanullah and Ms. Iffat Waqar from Dow College of Biotechnology Dow University of Health Sciences Karachi, Dr. Waqasuddin Khan The Aga Khan University Karachi, Mr. Muhammad Farooq NIBGE, Faisalabad, Dr. Amjad Ali, NUST, Dr. Nusrat Jabeen The University of Karachi, Dr. Syed Mohammad Omer, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, and Dr. Ammad Aslam Khan, Virtual University of Pakistan.

Dr. Bushra Mirza discussed the advancements in the techniques and tools of bioinformatics field. She said that these tools have made possible the high throughput analysis of genes and proteins. It has become an indispensable field in the post-genomic era. Apart from the analysis of genome sequence data, Bioinformatics is now being used for a vast array of other important tasks, including analysis of gene variation and expression, analysis and prediction of protein structure, she added.

The conference was comprised of four technical sessions, in these sessions the eminent speakers shed light on how bioinformatics is helping in the development of vaccines against COVID-19; they also summarized the evolution of bioinformatics and its use in the field of life sciences.

Mr. Naeem Tariq said that such summits provide an opportunity to renew contacts and discuss the expanding role of bioinformatics and computing methods in the domains of genetics, genomics, and transcriptomics. He congratulated conference chair, Dr. Muhammad Tariq Pervez, HoD Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Mr. Mirza Jawad ul Hasnain, Lecturer Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology for organizing a successful international event.

The chief guest of the closing ceremony, Prof. Dr. Shahida Hasnain (Ex-Vice Chancellor, Lahore College for Women University, Multan) addressed the audience and highlighted the research area of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. She encouraged researchers to use these approaches in a way that will help them to discover a study that will be the need of the hour.

At the end of the conference shield and Certificate were distributed among the keynote speakers and participants.

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VU holds 1st International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Methods in Post Genomic Era | The Academia - The Academia Mag

A Type 1 diabetes patient is the first patient to be cured of the disease with a new treatment, a clinical trial report claims, paving the way for those who also hope to beat it.

Per The New York Times, the clinical trial by Vertex Pharmaceuticals has been testing a treatment for decades. Thirty years and $50 million later, the first patient is cured.

Brian Shelton, now 64, got his first cell infusion of stem cells, which act like insulin-producing pancreas cells that his body lacked.

His body now controls its insulin and blood sugar levels automatically. Its a whole new life, Shelton said in The New York Times report. Its like a miracle.

It is a remarkable result, Dr. Peter Butler, a diabetes expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in the report. To be able to reverse diabetes by giving them back the cells they are missing is comparable to the miracle when insulin was first available 100 years ago.

The study will continue for five years, involving 17 people with a severe case of Type 1 diabetes. This will give 9 million people who are suffering from this disease a chance at a major change in their life.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for Type 1 diabetes, the pancreas doesnt make enough insulin. Without insulin, blood sugar can build up in the bloodstream, instead of entering cells to be used for energy.

Currently, the cell infusion treatment requires cells that are within a class of immunosuppressants that depress the immune system, said professor Douglas Melton, whose lab pioneered the science behind the therapy, per The Harvard Gazette

Without the immunosuppressants, these cells would be rejected by the body. We want to find a way to make cells by genetic engineering that are not recognized as foreign, he said.

Dr. Scott Summers, chairman of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology at the University of Utah. thinks a lot of work is left to be done and he views this study with caution.

At this point, we have only read about the results in one patient. The clinical trial is still ongoing, and the full set of results arent anticipated for several years. The paper hasnt been peer-reviewed. A heated discussion is actually ongoing amongst scientists about whether it is ethical or appropriate to publicize data so early in the study, he told the Deseret News.

The fact that it is a biotechnology company permits a marketing aspect that cannot be ignored. Its odd for a press release to occur so early in the study, he added.

Summers also has some suspicion regarding Melton. Despite being an excellent scientist, he reacted to a huge paper five years ago. His group allegedly discovered a hormone that could stimulate the proliferation of insulin cells. But those findings could not be replicated.

So, Melton did what any ethical scientist would do he retracted the paper.

This is a good reminder that findings need to be rigorously evaluated and replicated by multiple groups before carving them in stone, said Summers.

Despite these concerns, Im excited, he added. This discovery could have a transformative impact on our understanding and treatment of this insidious disease.

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New testing finds that one man might be the first cured of Type 1 diabetes. Whats next for the research? - Deseret News

Although the scholarship and literature dates the ideology of eugenics back to Plato, the contemporary manifestation of its practice is still very evident from the various selective-abortion laws. Taking its cue from the modern theories such as the Malthusian theory, Social Darwinism and Mendelian genetics, phenomena of human-selection and human-perfection has been the core aim of medical sciences as well as the state.

Eugenics, as a social movement and ideology that aims to perfect the human stock continues to view disability as a matter of grave societal concern which can only be tackled by its breeding-out. Therefore, while sterilization, abortion and mass killing were products of eugenics during the World War II, prenatal testing and selective-abortion is argued to be its extension in todays time. Under the garb of womens rights, public health and greater societal good, prenatal testing and selective abortions truly represent a significant step towards the ultimate achievement of the eugenicists dream of eliminating disabilities by eliminating disabled people. Contrary to the scholars who believe in the retreat of eugenics post the War, it is argued that the principles of eugenics has now secured a hidden niche for itself and its proponents in the institution of law.

Under the garb of womens rights, public health and greater societal good, prenatal testing and selective abortions truly represent a significant step towards the ultimate achievement of the eugenicists dream of eliminating disabilities by eliminating disabled people.

It has been rightly argued by Smitha Nizar in her book, The Contradiction in Disability Law, that the most powerful vehicle of the eugenic ideology has been the law. From the very onset of the abortion reform movement, disability-based selective abortion enjoyed significant public support. Serving the paternalistic interests of the state, law was first employed as a facilitator of eugenics to curb the outbreak of Rubella virus and foetal defects back in 1960s in the U.S.A.

Also read: The Bias Against Disability Rights In The Abortion Laws Discourse

Similarly, Indian laws employed and sanctioned disability-based selective abortions as a method to thwart the growing population with disabilities and thereby lighten the burden of the states obligation to the disabled community. Prima facie, the issue of selective abortions does not seem to pertain particularly to the disabled community, however, there is more than what meets the eye. It is argued that selective-abortions under Section 4 of the PDNT Act as well as Section 3 of the MTP Act does more than just comply by the medical model of disability and serve the eugenic interests of the state. Evidently, it aids in erasing the disabled community by not even letting them being born. It also bares the entire spectrum of human traits for being assessed and analysed on the basis of their individual vitality. Whether its sex, physical strength or overall health, if the regime of selective abortions continue, it is argued that it will open a Pandoras box of trait selection.

The social purpose of prenatal tests is to reduce the incidence of live births of people with disabilities.

Eugenic abortion laws unmask the exponential harm legislations such as the MTP do in the society. Concurring to what Lisa Blumberg opines, it is contended that while the reason for prenatal tests has been to only detect abnormalities, the social purpose of it is to reduce the number of disability-laden births which further leads to denigration of all vulnerable as well as disabled people before and after birth.

By diminishing the value as well as visibility of disability from the society, the state through the laws of selective abortion inherently disenfranchises the community from the abled demography to paint a perfectly healthy picture of human society which devoid of any forms of abnormalities. It is claimed that by the pushing of disabled community to the very end of the society, the state attempts to disregard their pressing concerns. As rightly asserted by Smitha Nizar, it is easier for the state to prevent the birth of a disabled person through laws, then to actually commit to their cause and respond to their concerns. By the manner of preventing their births, state tries to washes off its hands from any kind of obligation, social services and protection people with disability might advocate and demand for.

However, ironically, the states attempt to prevent disability through selective abortion is nothing but a fools errand. By discounting the possibility of instances of post-birth disability, the purpose of selective-abortion also is lampooned to a great extent. It is thus advanced that the state cannot possibly erase the disabled community. Instead of attempting to absolve itself from legal, moral and ethical obligations and duties through selective-abortion laws, it should rather address and respond to the concerns of the community in an affirmative manner.

Also read: The Ableist Ruling Indian Government: Eugenics & Disability As Suffering

... And as science evolves, we need to ask: should prenatal testing include autism, breast cancer risk genes, or even ones sexual orientation?

Being plagued by the powerful forces of Brahmanical patriarchy and its function of female foeticide, Indian culture has always accepted and practiced selective-abortions in some form or the other. Similar to the perception of disability, the social identity of female was considered undesirable and devalued. The very purpose of enacting a law such as the PDNT Act was to regulate the use of prenatal technologies and prevent the instances of female foeticide which is a type of selective-abortion based on the trait of sex.

It is argued that selective abortion opens a Pandoras box as selection and preference of one trait implies the legitimisation and validation of the other traits as well. Thus, the real question is where does human selection and perfecting end?

While on one hand, the act outlawed prenatal sex determination, on the other hand, it articulated the undesirability of and the consequent discrimination against people with disabilities. It is argued that selective abortion opens a Pandoras box as selection and preference of one trait implies the legitimisation and validation of the other traits as well. Thus, the real question is where does human selection and perfecting end?

With the rapidity of advancement in the respective fields of bioethics, genetic engineering and technology, it is not too far-fetched to forecast a future society with a uniform human mould. If not uniform, it is argued that selective-abortions wipe out not just the disabled communities, but also any other such trait that falls outside the societal mould.

Whether it is a disease like cancer or certain personal aspect such as ones sexual orientation, the reigns of human society shall be in the hands of medicine and those who practice medicine. In addition to the power of medical discourse which is as claimed by Anita Ghai, quite universal, it is argued that the state and its paternalistic interests will play a predominant role in defining the human body and its traits.

As witnessed from the case of female foeticide in India, the initiative of banning sex-based abortions was primarily to cater to the two-fold interests of the state, namely, the skewed sex-ration and social reproduction. Consequently, this interplay of the institution of medical science and medical professionals and the state illustrates a distant, yet plausible emergence of the eugenics.

Samuel R Bagenstos, Disability and Reproductive Justice(2020) 14 Harv L & Poly Rev 273.

Mary Ziegler, The Disability Politics of Abortion (2017) Utlah Law Review 587.

Lisa Blumberg, The Politics of Prenatal Testing and Selective Abortions 12 1994 Sexuality and Disability 153.

Carolyn Y. Johnson, DNA Blood Test can detect Prenatal Problems The Boston Globe < https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/2014/02/26/new-study-suggests-prenatal-genetic-tests-could-offered-all-pregnant-women/V1GQuRL4jkr1M6Oe1XcQCK/story.html> accessed on 13th January 2021.

Kavana Ramaswamy, Addressing Abortion: Lessons from the Problems of Female Feticides in India (2017) 27 Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems 1.

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The Interplay Of Eugenics And Disability Bias In Selective-Abortion Laws - Feminism in India

Topline data show SAB-176 achieved statistically significant reductions in viral load and clinical symptoms and it appeared safe and well-tolerated

Second clinical proof of concept achieved by DiversitAbplatform in past two months

Positive clinical results confirm that SABs fully-human polyclonal antibodies can be broadly neutralizing to both known and unknown viral variantsa valuable feature when addressing rapidly mutating pathogens

SAB plans to further evaluate SAB-176 in a Phase 2 influenza clinical trial slated to beginin 2Q 2022

SIOUX FALLS, S.D., Dec. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SABS), (SAB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a novel immunotherapy platform that produces specifically targeted, high-potency, fully-human polyclonal antibodies without the need for human donors, today announced that SAB-176, its investigational therapeutic for the treatment of seasonal influenza, achieved statistically significant (p = 0.026) reductions in viral load and clinical signs and symptoms compared to placebo in a Phase 2a challenge study. In the study, SAB-176 appeared to be safe and well-tolerated. SAB-176 is a quadrivalent fully human polyclonal antibody therapeutic candidate designed for the treatment of moderate to severe Type A and B seasonal influenza viruses.

We are highly encouraged by these topline results showing that treatment with SAB-176 achieved statistical significance in reducing influenza viral load and clinical signs and symptoms in treated subjects, despite the small size of this first Phase 2 study. These data suggest that SAB-176 has the potential to be an effective treatment for this prevalent, highly-mutating virus that resurfaces annually and is a major source of hospitalizations and deaths, said Tom Luke, MD, Chief Medical Officer of SAB Biotherapeutics. These trial results support advancing SAB-176 as a potential treatment for seasonal influenza through further clinical studies, and we look forward to sharing additional data as it becomes available.

These positive efficacy data for SAB-176 represent the second clinical proof of concept achieved by our DiversitAbplatform in the past two months, said Eddie J. Sullivan, PhD, Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of SAB Biotherapeutics. In September our investigational COVID-19 therapy SAB-185 met the pre-defined efficacy goal for advancement from Phase 2 to Phase 3 in the NIH-sponsored ACTIV-2 trial. These back-to-back clinical successes for our first two pipeline products give us confidence that the DiversitAb platform is clinically validated. They reinforce our commitment to advancing this unique platform, with its demonstrated ability to rapidly generate therapeutic candidates for highly mutating pathogen targets with ongoing resurgence and pandemic potential, including influenza and COVID-19.

About SAB-176 Challenge StudyThe Phase 2a challenge study, initiated in June 2021, was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the safety and treatment efficacy of SAB-176 in 60 healthy adults challenged with a pandemic influenza virus strain (pH1N1). Participants were randomized to receive either SAB-176 (25 mg/kg dose) or placebo and were intranasally inoculated with pandemic H1N1 (2009/California) virus, and nasopharyngeal swabs were taken 8 days after inoculation.

The primary endpoint of the study was reduction of the nasopharyngeal viral load of subjects treated with SAB-176 (expressed as area under the curve, or AUC) compared to those receiving placebo over an 8-day timepoint as measured by qRT-PCR. SAB-176 met the primary endpoint of significantly reducing patient pH1N1 influenza viral load in the treated subjects (p = 0.026, one sided).

A secondary endpoint of the challenge study was reduction of clinical flu signs and symptoms in the subjects receiving active treatment (n=8) compared to placebo controls (n=12) for those who had signs and symptoms. SAB-176 achieved statistical significance in meeting the secondary endpoint at Day 4 (p = 0.013, one sided) in symptomatic patients. Additional analyses of secondary endpoint data are underway.

In this study SAB-176 also appeared to be safe and well tolerated. No SAB-176-related serious adverse events (SAEs) were observed, and most adverse events were mild to moderate. Based on these positive efficacy and safety results, SAB plans to further evaluate SAB-176 in advanced clinical trials.

One remarkable aspect of these results is that SABs Tc Bovine were not immunized to the specific influenza virus strain that was used in the challenge study, added Christoph Bausch, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of SAB Biotherapeutics. Nonetheless, the statistically significant reduction in virus load and symptoms that were achieved confirm that SAB-176 demonstrated high cross reactivity to this pandemic strain. This reinforces a unique and timely feature of our DiversitAbplatformthe diversity of the human antibodies it produces gives our therapeutics the potential to be broadly neutralizing to both known and unknown viral variantsa very valuable feature when addressing rapidly mutating pathogens.

For more information on the Phase 2a clinical trial, visit clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier NCT04850898).

About SAB-176SAB-176 is a multivalent, broadly neutralizing fully-human polyclonal antibody therapeutic candidate in development for the treatment or prevention of severe influenza. The novel, specifically-targeted therapeutic leverages the natural human biological immune response to specifically bind to Type A and Type B influenza viruses. Like vaccines, it can be modified to address annual strain changes, when needed, to maintain broader coverage as the flu virus mutates. Preclinical data suggests that SAB-176 offers broad protection against diverse influenza strains.

SABs novel DiversitAb immunotherapy platform enables the production of large amounts of targeted, highly potent human polyclonal antibodies. The platform leverages transchromosomic cattle (Tc Bovine) that have been genetically designed to generate fully human antibodies (immunoglobulin G) rather than bovine antibodies, in response to inoculation with an immunogen.

To develop and produce SAB-176, Tc Bovine were hyperimmunized with a quadrivalent antigen, including a number of influenza strains. Within a brief period of time, the Tc Bovine generated significant amounts of fully-human antibodies to combat the virus, driving titers beyond the levels known to be protective. Plasma was collected (in a similar manner as from human plasma donors), then purified to isolate the antibodies that comprise the therapeutic treatment.

About Seasonal InfluenzaInfluenza virus infection is one of the most common infectious diseases and can lead to severe illness, and death. According to the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), on average about 8% of the US population gets sick each flu season and between 12,000 and 61,000 infected Americans die, depending on the severity of the flu season. In 2019-2020, considered a moderate flu season, 38 million people in the US became ill with the flu, 18 million saw a healthcare provider for treatment, 400,000 were hospitalized and an estimated 22,000 died. Globally, there are between 2.5 and 5 million influenza-related hospitalizations per year. The CDC recommends an annual flu shot for almost everyone over the age of six months, but each year less than half the population is vaccinated. In addition, because influenza viruses are highly mutating, the vaccines have varying levels of protection in any year, but rarely exceed 50% protection. Young children, the elderly, immune-compromised individuals, and patients with chronic health conditions are especially at risk of poor outcomes from influenza, yet there are few approved therapies for the treatment of influenza.

About SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc.SAB Biotherapeutics, Inc. (SAB) is a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company advancing a new class of immunotherapies leveraging fully human polyclonal antibodies. SAB has applied advanced genetic engineering and antibody science to develop transchromosomic (Tc) Bovine that produce fully-human antibodies targeted at specific diseases, including infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and influenza, immune system disorders including type 1 diabetes and organ transplantation, and cancer. SABs versatile DiversitAb platform is applicable to a wide range of serious unmet needs in human diseases. It produces natural, specifically targeted, high-potency, human polyclonal immunotherapies. SAB is currently advancing multiple clinical programs. For more information on SAB, visit: https://www.sabbiotherapeutics.com/ and follow @SABBantibody on Twitter.

Contacts:Melissa Ullerich+1 605-679-4609mullerich@sabbiotherapeutics.com

Courtney Turiano (investors)Stern IR+1 212-698-8687Courtney.Turiano@sternir.com

Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements made herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as believe, may, will, estimate, continue, anticipate, intend, expect, should, would, plan, predict, potential, seem, seek, future, outlook and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding future events. These statements are based on the current expectations of SAB and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on, by any investor as a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict, will differ from assumption and are beyond the control of SAB. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, among others, those related to the COVID-19 pandemic; SABs ability achieve successful results for its product candidates, the availability of financing, and trends affecting SABs financial condition or results of operations. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are described under the sections entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's proxy statement/prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on September 24, 2021. Such factors may be updated from time to time in SABs periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SECs website at http://www.sec.gov. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. The forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release, and SAB expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement.

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SAB Biotherapeutics Announces SAB-176 Met its Primary Endpoint in Phase 2a Challenge Study in Adults Infected with Influenza Virus - BioSpace

There is much media hype around the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and what it will hail for social and economic development. It is defined as a fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the internet of things (IOT), genetic engineering, quantum computing, and more.

One thing is clear: the world is not on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work and relate to one another but rather we are in the thick of it.

This is borne out by research, with one Statista study forecasting the number of IOT devices worldwide will triple from 8.74 billion in 2020, to more than 25.4 billion IOT devices by 2030. The same study noted that in 2020, the highest number of IOT devices was in China, at 3.17 billion devices.

IOT devices are used in all types of industry verticals and consumer markets, with the consumer segment accounting for around 60% of all IOT connected devices in 2020. This share is projected to stay at this level over the next 10 years.

The most important use cases for IOT devices in the consumer segment are internet and media devices such as smartphones, where the number of IOT devices is forecast to grow to more than eight billion by 2030. Other use cases with more than one billion IOT devices by 2030 are connected (autonomous) vehicles, IT infrastructure, asset tracking plus monitoring and smart grid applications.

Unpacking 4IR, IOT and technology spending

The first industrial revolution used water and steam power to mechanise production, while the second used electric power to create mass production, and the third utilised electronics and information technology to automate production.

Now the 4IR has taken the innovations of the third and built on them to create the digital revolution that has been occurring since the middle of the last century. It is said to be characterised by a fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres.

Today's transformations represent not merely a prolongation of the third industrial revolution, but rather the arrival of a fourth and distinct one.

The speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent, as when compared with previous industrial revolutions, the fourth is evolving at an exponential pace.

The speed of current breakthroughs has no historical precedent, as when compared with previous industrial revolutions, the fourth is evolving at an exponential pace. Moreover, it is disrupting almost every industry in every country, with the breadth and depth of these changes heralding the transformation of entire systems of production, management and governance.

So, what exactly is the 4IR? According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), it is a new era that builds and extends the impact of digitisation in new and unanticipated ways. In other words, it is the convergence of technology, digital, data and artificial intelligence that brings about new and unanticipated ways of working, living and engaging, such as in a metaverse.

It can also be said to be about the internet of everything from fitness trackers to the smart thermostats used both commercially and in homes, to the fleet-management solutions that tell us when our packages will arrive IOT is now embedded in the lives of consumers, as well as the operations of enterprises and governments.

IOT is the holy grail of innovation in the 21st Century, as predicted by everyone from McKinsey to Gartner. It largely started with the invention of the cloud and has since accelerated with the advances in both communication technology as well as new engineering innovation of IOT devices.

In a world where many companies suffer revenue declines, it is clear that IT spending is accelerating ahead of revenue expectations. According to Gartner, technology spending has entered a new build budget phase, with worldwide IT spending projected to total $4.2 trillion by the end of 2021, which represents an increase of 8.6% over 2020.

The research team goes on to note that CIOs are looking for partners that can think past the digital sprints of 2020 and be more intentional in their digital transformation efforts in 2021.

Boards and CEOs are much more willing to invest in technology that has a clear tie to business outcomes, and less so for everything else. For example, the IT services segment is among the top three highest growth areas for 2021, primarily due to a boost in infrastructure-as-a-service spending that supports mission-critical workloads and avoids high on-premises costs. The IT services segment is forecast to total $1.2 trillion in 2021, an increase of 9.8% over 2020.

However, IOT is not a panacea for all business ills according to McKinsey, IOT has faced headwinds related to change management, cost, talent and cyber security, particularly in enterprises.

With this level of investment there are unquestionably opportunities for South African businesses capable of identifying and capitalising on them. IOT start-ups need to focus on finding the right strategic partnerships that are based on mutually acceptable values of trust and respect.

In my next article, I will expand on the state of SA's readiness for the 4IR.

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In the thick of the opportunity revolution - ITWeb

Medicinal Plant

According to a survey report recently prepared by a team of scientists led by Dr. Saurabh Panday from Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, as many as 32 rare species of angiospermic plants found in the Matanhel Forest Area, Jhajjar, Haryana are on the verge of extinction, posing a serious threat to biodiversity.

Biodiversity reflects the health of the planet and has a direct impact on every aspect of our lives. To put it simply, reduced biodiversity means that millions of people will face a future in which food supplies will be more vulnerable to pests and disease, and freshwater will be in irregular or short supply.

Medicinal plants are used in the treatment of cancer, respiratory and cardiac diseases, ulcers, liver and kidney infections, and other diseases. The report will be submitted to the state government soon in order for further action to be taken to protect these plants.

"Overexploitation of natural resources, urbanization, habitat loss, extreme hunting, pollution, and climate change are the primary causes of these 32 rare plants' extinction.

These plants include indigofera cordifolia, physalis angulata, senna occidentalis, senegalia catechu, Tinospora cordifolia, and Sida Cordifolia, among others," said Dr. Panday, a former principal investigator at the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in New Delhi.

He claimed that the leaves, stems, roots, seeds, and barks of all 32 species from 21 families had been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times.

He added that there was an urgent need to take critical steps for their protection as well as for dealing with climate change, which was detrimental to the ecosystem and biodiversity.

"The threat to biodiversity affects not only the flora and fauna but also the environmental conditions," said Dr. Kavita Saini, an entomologist and prominent member of the survey team. Butterflies are considered a bio-indicator of the ecosystem, but our survey found that three prominent butterfly species- blue argus, danaus chrysippus, and papillo pollutes- are also on the verge of extinction due to destruction of their milkweed habitats caused by urbanization, insecticide use, and climate change.

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Biodiversity Loss: 32 Medicinal Plants are on the verge of Extinction, as per a survey - Krishi Jagran

during the forecast period. The growth of the genome editing/genome engineering market is expected to be driven by the rise in government funding and growth in the number of genomics projects, increased application areas of genomics, and the introduction of CRISPR-Cas9 for genome engineering.

New York, Nov. 25, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Genome Editing/Genome Engineering Market by Technology, Product & Service, Application, End user - Global Forecast to 2026" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p05220258/?utm_source=GNW

The services segment accounted for the highest growth rate in the genome editing/genome engineering market, by product & service, during the forecast periodIn 2020, the services segment accounted for the highest growth rate.The genomic editing/genome engineering services market is segmented into sequencing services; data analysis; bioinformatics services; and other services, such as informatics, clean up, gene expression, and DNA synthesis services.

Most companies in the services sector offer all these services.Although the services segment represents a major part of the market, some end users have in-house sequencing and bioinformatics capabilities.

Service providers possess highly advanced and multiple sequencing platforms and make use of high-quality consumables/kits. They also have multiple sequencing platforms, which enables these service providers to choose the most appropriate system to solve the scientific challenges of their customers and promptly deliver high-quality sequencing at a low cost.

The CRISPR segment accounted for the largest share of the application segment, by technology, in the genome editing/genome engineeringIn 2020, the CRISPR technology accounted for the largest share.Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) is a revolutionary tool used to edit genes in a way that resembles traditional GMO techniques.

The use of the Cas9 enzymes differentiates CRISPR from other forms of genetic modification.The ease of use associated with CRISPR technology gives it a significant advantage over ZFN and TALEN, especially in generating a large set of vectors to target numerous sites or even genome-wide libraries.

Another potential advantage of CRISPR is its ability to use multiple guide RNA parallelly to target multiple sites simultaneously in the same cell. This makes it easier to mutate multiple genes at once or engineer precise deletions in a genomic region.

Asia Pacific: The fastest-growing region in the genome editing/genome engineering marketThe genome editing/genome engineering market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America (LATAM) and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Increasing government support, and developing R&D infrastructure Increasing investments in research and rising number of applications of gene synthesis for genetic engineering of cells and tissues of organisms are the major factors fueling the growth of the genome editing/genome engineering market in the Asia Pacific region.

The primary interviews conducted for this report can be categorized as follows: By Respondent: Supply Side- 70% and Demand Side 30% By Designation: C-level - 55%, D-level - 20%, and Others - 25% By Region: North America -50%, Europe -20%, Asia-Pacific -20%, RoW -10%

List of Companies Profiled in the Report: Thermo Fisher Scientific (US) Merck KGaA (Germany) GenScript China) Sangamo Therapeutics (US) Lonza (Switzerland) Editas medicine (US) CRISPR Therapeutics Tecan Life sciences (Switzerland) Precision biosciences (US) Agilent technologies (Switzerland) PerkinElmer (US) Cellectis SA (France) Intellia Therapeutics (US) Bluebird Bio (US) Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (US) Synthego (US) Vigene Biosciences (US) Beam Therapeutics (US) Integrated DNA Technologies (US) New England Biolabs (US) Origene Technologies (US) Transposagen Biopharmaceuticals (US) Creative Biogene (US) Recombinetics (US) Caribou Biosciences (US)

Research Coverage:This report provides a detailed picture of the genome editing/genome engineering market.It aims at estimating the size and future growth potential of the market across different segments such as the product, application, end user and region.

The report also includes an in-depth competitive analysis of the key market players along with their company profiles recent developments and key market strategies.

Key Benefits of Buying the Report:The report will help market leaders/new entrants by providing them with the closest approximations of the revenue numbers for the overall genome editing/genome engineering market and its subsegments.It will also help stakeholders better understand the competitive landscape and gain more insights to better position their business and make suitable go-to-market strategies.

This report will enable stakeholders to understand the markets pulse and provide them with information on the key market drivers, restraints, challenges, trends, and opportunities.Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p05220258/?utm_source=GNW

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The global genome editing/genome engineering market is expected to reach USD 11.7 billion by 2026 from USD 5.1 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 18.2% -...

If humans are to live on Mars or the moon one day, well need to be able to construct buildings to live, sleep, eat, and work in space. The way to do that, space agencies have said, is to 3D-print habitats or their components. But hauling enough of the Earth-derived materials used for most 3D printing from our planet to another celestial body isnt a feasible option.

Biology could solve that problem, says Neel Joshi, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Northeastern. And Joshis team may have devised just the technology for the job: a 3D-printable material that is alive.

Like a tree has cells embedded within it and it goes from a seed to a tree by assimilating resources from its surroundings in order to enact these structure-building programs, what we want to do is a similar thing, but where we provide those programs in the form of DNA that we write and genetic engineering, Joshi says.

The researchers have figured out how to program the bacterium Escherichia coli, also known as E. coli, to produce an entirely biological ink which can be used to 3D-print solid structures. That microbial ink, which is described in a paper published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, has yet to be tested on a cosmic scale, but the scientists have used the gelatinous material to print small shapes, such as a circle, a square, and a cone. They have also successfully programmed it to build materials with specified attributes with other applications that could be useful in medicine.

Neel Joshi, associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, works on programmable microbial ink for 3D printing of living materials, in the Mugar Life Sciences building. Photos by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

We want to use living cells, microbes, as factories to make useful materials, says Avinash Manjula-Basavanna, a postdoctoral fellow in Joshis laboratory and co-lead author on the new paper. The idea, he says, is to harness the properties that are unique to the materials that make up living things for a spectrum of purposes, ranging from therapeutic to industrial.

Think about it as a platform for building many different things, not just bricks for building buildings or construction, Joshi says. He explains the work by comparing it to the way a polymer chemist considers how to devise plastic materials that can serve distinct purposes. Some plastics are hard and retain their shape, while others are stretchy and soft.

Biology is able to do similar things, Joshi says. Think about the difference between hair, which is flexible, and horns on a deer or a rhino or something. Theyre made of similar materials, but they have very different functions. Biology has figured out how to tune those mechanical properties using a limited set of building blocks.

The particular natural building block the scientists are taking advantage of is a protein produced by the bacterium E. coli. The material, called Curli fibers, is produced by the bacterial cells as they attach to a surface and to one another to form a community. The same properties that make the Curli fibers a sort of glue for the bacteria also make it an attractive material for microbial engineers like Joshi and his colleagues.

The researchers 3D-printed small shapes using the microbial ink that they developed from the bacterium Escherichia coli, also known as E. coli. Image courtesy of Duraj-Thatte et al., Nature Communications

To make the microbial link, the scientists started by culturing genetically engineered E. coli in a flask. They fed the bacteria nutrients so that they would multiply, and as they divided they would produce the desired polymers, the Curli fibers. Then, the researchers filtered out the gelatinous polymers and fed that material into a 3D printing apparatus as the microbial ink.

Microbes have been used to make the ink for 3D printing before, but, Joshi and Manjula-Basavanna say, what sets this microbial ink apart is that it is not blended with anything else. Their gel is entirely biological.

One of the perks of a truly living material is that it is, in fact, alive, Manjula-Basavanna says. And that means that it can do what living things can do, such as heal itself, the way skin does. In the right conditions, the cells in the microbial gel could simply make more of itself.

Its not necessarily always growing, Joshi says. For example, if the cells were left alive in the small cone that the team made from the microbial gel, if you were to take that whole cone and dunk it into some glucose solution, the cells would eat that glucose and they would make more of that fiber and grow the cone into something bigger, he says. There is the option to leverage the fact that there are living cells there. But you can also just kill the cells and use it as an inert material.

While the initial gel is made entirely from genetically engineered E. coli, the researchers also tried mixing the ink with other genetically engineered microbes with the goal of using the 3D-printed materials for specific purposes. Thats how they made a material that could deliver an anticancer drug, which it released when it encountered a specific chemical stimulus. In another experiment, they also programmed another material to trap the toxic chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) when it encountered BPA in the environment.

You could think about taking a bottle cap and printing our material on the inside of it so that if there was BPA around, it would be sucked up by that and not be in your drink, Joshi says.

This study was simply a proof-of-concept endeavor, but Joshi sees this microbial ink as opening a door to all kinds of possibilities for building things with biology.

If there is a way to manufacture in a more sustainable manner, its going to involve using living cells, he says. This is advancing more towards that type of paradigm of building things with living cells.

For media inquiries, please contact Marirose Sartoretto at m.sartoretto@northeastern.edu or 617-373-5718.

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With this New Technology, 3D Printing Comes to Life Literally. - News @ Northeastern - News@Northeastern

I asked Davey, as well as Elke Mhlberger, another researcher at NEIDL, if they were ever fearful. Once they became comfortable with the pressurized suits, they said, they experienced a kind of joy in the privileges of the work, as well as confidence in containment measures. To Mhlberger, in fact, working in a Level 2 or Level 3 facility feels riskier than being in a Level 4 lab, where the safety protocol is so stringent; the day before she gave birth to her second son, she told me, she spent the morning working with the Ebola virus in a Level 4 lab. Once inside, there are no cellphones, no email, no small talk only the pathogens and the white noise of air swirling around her ears. Its really very relaxing, she said. Her work is focused on the planets most formidable threats, she acknowledged. But it is in many ways an escape from the world itself.

Is that world better off with or without high-containment biolabs? Its a question not easily resolved. The work that goes on inside them involves a nontrivial degree of risk, which is why NEIDL, with its vaults and barricades and bulwarks including its operational protocols resembles a modern-day citadel. Yet no amount of engineering, infrastructural or human, can reduce to zero the chance of bad things coming out of biolabs. On the other hand, without them, we would lack all sorts of treatments for diseases like Covid-19 and Ebola. For now, the world seems to agree that we need these facilities.

Next summer, the C.D.C. will break ground on a new high-containment laboratory complex on its campus in Atlanta. One ambition is to supplement an aging biolab with a five-story, state-of-the-art facility that includes two Level 3 suites and six Level 4 suites. These will be largely dedicated to studying viruses with more fearsome fatality rates: Ebola, Nipah, Marburg, Chapare. Construction will take about three years, followed by a two-year commissioning process to ensure safety expectations are met. The cost has been reported to be at least $350 million a significant jump from the $280 million (adjusted for inflation) that built the NEIDL facilities. Melissa Pearce, who will oversee the new lab, told me that she and her C.D.C. colleagues have toured North American facilities in recent years to survey current best practices and design ideas.

Ideas that are too new wont necessarily be adopted. When youre designing a Biosafety Level 4, the thought of using new technology tends to give you pause, Pearce told me. Its like the first year of a brand-new model of a car you tend to not want to buy that, because there are probably some bugs that need to get worked out. So, many of the improvements in Atlanta are likely to be incremental. Some of the researchers on the planning team believe that the spaces in current Level 4 labs are too narrow, for example, so there will be more room within new suites for workers to move around freely. A new chemical shower off the hallway will allow the staff to sanitize equipment more efficiently.

To talk to people at the C.D.C. is to be struck by how close to the next pandemic they think we might be and how important, should a little-known infectious agent again explode in the general population, the research done on exotic viruses in containment there and elsewhere will be in directing us toward therapies or a cure. Thats the expectation at NEIDL, too, where Mhlberger has recently been working with the Lloviu virus, a relative of Ebola, which was first identified in bats in Eastern Europe 10 years ago. A group in rural Hungary extracts small amounts of blood from local bat colonies, searching for Lloviu. If the virus is present, the group sequences and sends the genetic information to her. She then compares its viral properties with other pathogens to better understand potential dangers. We dont know yet whether it causes disease in humans or not, she said. But if it causes disease, about 200 million people live in the area where these bats roam.

When I asked Joel Montgomery, the head of the viral special pathogens branch at the C.D.C., whether our awareness of new pathogens is a result of improved surveillance or of more viruses having increased opportunities to jump into humans, he seemed to think both factors were responsible. The ability to test new viruses, thanks to nucleic-acid-sequencing capabilities, is far better than it was 10 or 20 years ago. But I think we are interacting with our environment much more now than we have before, and just the sheer number of people on the planet has increased, he said, which also affects population densities. And so were going to see outbreaks epidemics, pandemics happening more frequently. It most certainly will happen.

Our high-containment facilities, moreover, may have to deal with threats hatched in labs as well as what comes from nature. Take, for example, pox diseases. The C.D.C.s campus in Atlanta is home to one of two Level 4 labs left in the world that harbors the live variola virus, which causes smallpox and was declared eradicated globally in 1980. (The other cache is in Russia.) Victoria Olson, a deputy director of lab science and safety at the C.D.C., told me that the lab keeps samples because studies using a live virus could help scientists develop diagnostics, treatments and vaccines should smallpox re-emerge, or should a similar poxvirus appear. Monkey pox, which has caused recent outbreaks in Africa, where it has a fatality rate of 10 percent, is already a serious concern; Alaska pox was just identified in 2015. More alarming, perhaps, is the potential that someone outside the world of known biolabs might cook up a version of a poxvirus, using the tools of genetic engineering. Smallpox had an average case-fatality rate of about 30 percent; Americans have not been immunized against it since 1972. A synthetic smallpox or even a synthetic super smallpox, which could be deadlier than the original is not much of an intellectual leap.

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You Should Be Afraid of the Next Lab Leak - The New York Times

DUBLIN, Nov. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cell Therapy - Technologies, Markets and Companies" report from Jain PharmaBiotech has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report describes and evaluates cell therapy technologies and methods, which have already started to play an important role in the practice of medicine. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is replacing the old fashioned bone marrow transplants. The role of cells in drug discovery is also described. Cell therapy is bound to become a part of medical practice.

Stem cells are discussed in detail in one chapter. Some light is thrown on the current controversy of embryonic sources of stem cells and comparison with adult sources. Other sources of stem cells such as the placenta, cord blood and fat removed by liposuction are also discussed. Stem cells can also be genetically modified prior to transplantation.

Cell therapy technologies overlap with those of gene therapy, cancer vaccines, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Pharmaceutical applications of stem cells including those in drug discovery are also described. Various types of cells used, methods of preparation and culture, encapsulation, and genetic engineering of cells are discussed. Sources of cells, both human and animal (xenotransplantation) are discussed. Methods of delivery of cell therapy range from injections to surgical implantation using special devices.

Cell therapy has applications in a large number of disorders. The most important are diseases of the nervous system and cancer which are the topics for separate chapters. Other applications include cardiac disorders (myocardial infarction and heart failure), diabetes mellitus, diseases of bones and joints, genetic disorders, and wounds of the skin and soft tissues.

Regulatory and ethical issues involving cell therapy are important and are discussed. The current political debate on the use of stem cells from embryonic sources (hESCs) is also presented. Safety is an essential consideration of any new therapy and regulations for cell therapy are those for biological preparations.

The cell-based markets was analyzed for 2020, and projected to 2030. The markets are analyzed according to therapeutic categories, technologies and geographical areas. The largest expansion will be in diseases of the central nervous system, cancer and cardiovascular disorders. Skin and soft tissue repair, as well as diabetes mellitus, will be other major markets.

The number of companies involved in cell therapy has increased remarkably during the past few years. More than 500 companies have been identified to be involved in cell therapy and 317 of these are profiled in part II of the report along with tabulation of 306 alliances. Of these companies, 171 are involved in stem cells.

Profiles of 73 academic institutions in the US involved in cell therapy are also included in part II along with their commercial collaborations. The text is supplemented with 67 Tables and 26 Figures. The bibliography contains 1,200 selected references, which are cited in the text.

Markets and Future Prospects for Cell Therapy

Key Topics Covered:

Part I: Technologies, Ethics & Regulations

Executive Summary

1. Introduction to Cell Therapy

2. Cell Therapy Technologies

3. Stem Cells

4. Clinical Applications of Cell Therapy

5. Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disorders

6. Cell Therapy for Cancer

7. Cell Therapy for Neurological Disorders

8. Ethical, Legal and Political Aspects of Cell therapy

9. Safety and Regulatory Aspects of Cell Therapy

Part II: Markets, Companies & Academic Institutions

10. Markets and Future Prospects for Cell Therapy

11. Companies Involved in Cell Therapy

12. Academic Institutions

13. References

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/lbqs59

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1904 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

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Global Cell Therapy Markets Report 2021-2030: Cell Therapy Markets According to Therapeutic Areas, Technologies, & Companies - PRNewswire